Walking Through Air
by PasdeCheval
Summary: One Shot. To put it simply, Howl was an idiot. And Sophie got mad. What is a man to do?


The door slammed shut behind her, she liked the deafening sound. She twisted the lock, just for good measure. She knew he could easily unlock it with his magic if he really wanted too, but the didn't care at the moment.

She just wanted to let them all know they were unwelcome.

How could Howl have done this to her? She'd been so happy about their day together. He'd promised her for weeks that as soon as he was done repairing the castle, they could have their own time together, free of Calcifer, free of Markl, and free of the Witch. And as soon as she had turned her back for more than five seconds, she'd turned to see him flirting with another woman!

"Stupid Howl, with his stupid womanizing ways, and his stupid vanity" she mumbled, throwing herself face down onto her bed and shoving her face into a pillow.

He'd told her he loved her, told her he needed her, that she had made him a better person. And she'd told him all the same things. But the first opportunity he'd had, he made a beeline for the most attractive thing on two legs he could find.

Anger welled up deeper in Sophie Hatter's stomach, and she punched her pillow.

--

Howl slammed the house door behind him, running for the stairs.

"Howl, what happened? Sophie just came running in, and she looks none to pleased." Calcipher asked in a wary tone, as if he already knew that it was all Howl's fault. "Howl?" he called again, as Howl continued his march up the stairs.

Howl ignored her once contracted demon. He had to get to Sophie, and explain what happened.

"Sophie. I'm sorry. Please open up." He beat on her door with a fist, his head leaning on the door. He knew he could always open the door if he really wanted, but that would only anger his sweet more. He didn't want her to leave him.

How could he have been so weak? He loved Sophie. But when he had seen that girl in the market, his old instincts had taken over. He'd spent years chasing after any woman who caught his fancy, no matter how old, or how taken she was. When he had found Sophie though, he had promised himself he would never look at another woman again. But his old habits refused to be crushed.

"Sophie, please, I'm an idiot. Just let me in." He gave a sigh. "Please."

How could he make it up to her? How could he prove to her that he knew he had screwed up royally, but he really only truly loved her, and no one else?

--

She heard his boots trudging up the stairs urgently. She ignored it. "Sophie. I'm sorry. Please open up."

She kept her head down. Sophie would not forgive him so easily. "Sophie, please, I'm an idiot. Just let me in."

She refused to lift herself from the bed. He could wallow in his misery for a little longer for all she cared. Maybe it would give him an idea of how she felt.

Suddenly she heard the lock unlatch and the door slide open. She lifted up her head, her eyes red and swollen, obviously having been cried out. "Howl Jenkins, I told you to leave me alone!" She said as forcefully as she could muster. Hadn't he done enough today?

As she gathered another breath to say more, Howl swept her up in his arms and kissed her full on the lips, and carried her to the window.

For a few moments, Sophie was rendered useless by the power of his lips, but she eventually found her inner rage, and pushed on his chest. "You can't just walk in here, kiss me and make it all better, I hope you'll know." She said.

"Oh I know." Howl opened the window, over looking the town, and stepped on the sill. "Are you ready?" He whispered in her ear. Before she could answer, he pushed off from the window frame and he was walking through the air, Sophie still held tight to his chest.

He let her down gently, still holding her hands to keep her aloft with him. "Sophie, I'm an idiot. And still breaking down old habits. But I love you. And only you. Don't let anything I do or say change how you think that." He kissed her again.

She just looked up at him, the rage in her stomach slowly changing back to the love she knew that deep down she felt for this man, who knew so little in the ways of love.

"Howl, I love you too" She told him in a quiet voice.

"Good, now start walking, If we stand here too long, the spell will wear off."

She smiled. She would walk with him through the sky until the day she died.


End file.
